Thames Valley Police to upgrade speed cameras

Thames Valley Police is reminding drivers to stick to the speed limits as it begins a programme to upgrade all fixed speed cameras in its Force area.

Over the coming weeks and months, many traditional wet film cameras, which are now over ten years old, will be replaced with more advanced digital technology as part of the Force’s ongoing efforts to reduce deaths and injuries on Thames Valley’s roads.

The cameras will be upgraded at priority sites where there is the greatest need to reduce the number of road casualties and the speed of vehicles.

The first sites to be upgraded were in Oxford – in Banbury Road, Botley Road and Marston Road – all of which became operational on Monday (7/3).

Twenty cameras and site upgrades will be completed this year, with a further 10 cameras to be upgraded next year. The overall programme will last up to five years.

Like all cameras across Thames Valley, the new technology cameras will be bright yellow and clearly visible to drivers.

The new digital cameras will send offence information using mobile data technology to a control centre in Banbury. The analogue cameras require an operator to attend each camera site to remove the film, which is then developed into a negative before being reviewed by the team at the Fixed Penalty Support Unit.

With the new digital cameras, the quality of the image will be greatly enhanced providing significant improvements in evidential quality of the offending vehicle.

Temporary Supt Henry Parsons, of Hampshire Constabulary and Thames Valley Police Joint Operations Roads Policing Unit, said: “This improved technology will help us continue to respond to concerns raised by local communities and help make their roads safer.

“They are used solely for road safety reasons as evidence shows they are effective at reducing casualty rates.”